a journey of discovery through the world of gluten free living, cooking, and baking...and more

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Symphony of Flavours

Symphony of Flavours

I don't normally post "meals", but this one came together so beautifully both in flavours and visual impact. I confess I have been watching a lot of Masterchef lately, and it is inspiring me!
The meal above is pan-seared chicken with parsley-chimmichurri jasmine rice, cauliflower and corn puree, and a peach/red onion and cilantro salsa.

Cauliflower-Corn Puree: The puree was the starting point for me and I built the meal around it. In the blender: one whole cauliflower, broken into florets and steamed until tender. One can of corn (yes, fresh would be even better!) sautéed first in a pan with a few nobs of butter, one clove of garlic and a pinch of salt. About a cup and a half of cream/milk mixture, scalded. Add about half the cream/milk at first, then adding just enough to make a puree (you don't want to turn it into soup!).
Pulse in blender until smooth, adjust seasoning. Silky and so flavourful!!

Chicken: Breasts seasoned simply with garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, sautéed over medium high heat to get nice colour.

Rice: I was concerned that the plate would look too monotone so I whipped up a parsley chimmichurri and stirred that in to the Jasmine rice, along with some chopped fresh parsley.

Chimichurri: Chopped parsley, toasted walnuts, a touch of cilantro, a touch of chilli sauce, olive oil, touch of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place all in blender and blend until smooth.

I LOVE fruit salsas to go along with chicken and fish, and will use whatever fruit I have on hand: mango, peach, nectarine, apple, etc I will also sometimes use parsley in place of the cilantro, and sometimes add corn...It becomes a beautiful bright note on the plate, and adds some wonderful texture as well.

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About Me

My love of food, cooking and baking has been enhanced by working in numerous restaurants over the years- the job I put up with in order to support my acting habit. A lot of great things came out of my time in the trenches, and I remain inspired to discover new palate pleasers, especially now that Gluten has been banished from our menu!!
I am also a mom, an actor and an artist, sharing my Toronto home with my husband, our 3 children, and our puppy, Lucy.